Marriage is Murder

Cassidy looked at Michael and sighed she agreed " it just brings back memories of a past time " she said picking up a tool and looked at it but then placed it down and looked at Robert as he spoke " I'll stay " she said her arms folded across her chest as she stood with them " I'd like to see this place burn" she said and looked at Michael taking a deep breath in to calm her self before she started the fire to destroy the place before they could gather any information.

"No," Robert said. "Lee's plan is better. You lot all get back o the house. Apparate. I want no signs of you coming out of the cave. No footprints. Not a word of this to anyone. No one. Cassidy, you take the others in our own circle aside and tell them. That includes Angus, Kieran, Fiona, Jess, Anybody who is normally with us that doesn't know. Tell them one or two at a time to avoid raising suspicion. Go to them. Get them off in private. This is of the utmost secrecy. More than we ever have been before.

"We will need to make sure we keep the children together and under close guard," Kate said. "What about John and Andrew?"

"Cassidy, ask Kieran to keep them busy in 'training activities' or chores around the house to keep from raising suspicion," Robert said. "Alert Jess about the children. They would be the easiest pawn under our roof. They're too little to fight and would make little or no noise and would be far easier to kidnap or kill than an adult. The risk of harm to them has never been greater than it is right now."

"Then use me as bait to distract them from the children," Khaat said.

"Not unless I have to," Robert said. "We aren't moving one thing out of place here until we have the traitor in our custody. Do we all understand that?"

Cassidy sighed and nodded closing her eyes she thought hard to Jess knowing she would understand her urgency in all of this " done, Jess knows and is gathering Jack and Steven to tell them " she said " I'll find Kieran and Fiona and let them know when I get back " she said and looked at Michael before she aperated back to the main house to search for Fiona and Kieran who she found in the workshop attic room. " Fiona Kieran we have a problem ." she said and told them all that Robert had told her to tel them.

Kieran had his own suspicions based on behaviors of a few of the staff that had been disconnected until now. Now they seemed to connect in his head. He excused himself to do a little espionage of his own in the barracks. He asked Fiona and Cassidy to gather all their small children together. The eleven. And keep them secure. Kieran stopped first and spoke very briefly with Angus. Angus took a picnic bag and came up with enough food for at least 15 people, shrank it and then packed it. He managed to get it all done in the pantry without being seen. He took the bag upstairs and found Jess. He handed it to her with slip of paper. "Here," he said to her. "Take who you want to help you with them. Destroy this when you get there. We'll come for you there."

The note was a map. It showed how to get downstairs to a secret passage built into the already secret hoe theater. It led, once the charms were defeated, down into a sub-basement. Another level below the cellar that held a bunker that was sealable and only permited to be open by a blood relative of the Lupins themselves. It could be opened on either side by a Lupin but not by anyone else. There were ample supplies to take care of numbers of people and for indefinite time. It was completely self sustaining. Angus knew the bunker had everything necessary for life, including food, but he still wanted them to have fresh foods. The only ones who knew it even existed were Robert, Brian, Kieran, and Angus. No one else even knew it existed. And now, Angus was directing the children to all be moved out of reach. He had a plan to conceal why the children were not amongst the others like they had been.

Jess looked at Angus and took the picnic bag and note and nodded she understood what she was to do and headed to the nursery where Steven was waiting already. Most of the babies were in buggies the ones who could walk he held their hands waiting and ready, even the cots had been shrank and placed in a bag that sat over Stevens shoulder. " ok follow me" was all she said and her and Steven walked them following the map she had been given soon she was in the room and set everything up to await there next orders or word from Robert to say it was all clear.

Kieran was on a hunt of his own. When the others got back from the cave, Robert went down to the bunker to be sure the door was sealed shut. He knew by the fact that the bunker had been penetrated at all, that the children were safe. No one would see them or hear them until Robert or Brian or Angus came for them. Satisfied, he now could concentrate on protecting his wife and daughter. Brian already was mentally in perfect step with Robert. He didn't move to interfere with Kieran's assignment, but rather, he met with Robert to put other measures into place about what to do when they got the mole.

Brian and Robert met with Khaat then and talked to her seriously about the possible outcomes and how they needed her to proceed. Robert and Brian were more concerned that she would, at the last minute, give herself up and toss all their efforts to the wind. They rationalized it with her until they were sure she knew its importance and knew she could not do that, that she would stick with the plan.

Now all they could do was wait. Robert hung a quarantine sign on the nursery and playroom and said that the Andrew's cold had developed into Wizards' Pox. He said he could not allow anyone but Jess and Steven to deal with them. Then he put an enchantment on the room so that it would have the typical sounds for a playroom and a nursery of some well and some ill children. And he sealed the rooms so that no one but himself could break the seal.

Kieran stationed Andrew and John in the kitchen instead of the barn for training under Angus for learning how to cook. Kieran tol them it was necessary, if they were going to be aurors, to know how to fend for themselves. The boys had merely accepted that this was no typical holiday break and had reported as instructed. Now he had them safe under Angus's guard and sent Fi to the kitchen to help, allegedly, with the chores but also to help guard the boys.

After that, they needed to wait for the mole to show himself either in the house or in the cave. And waiting was the toughest job of all. Robert hoped that Lee would appear in short order with the traitor in custody. But he knew it could take hours or days.

Jack headed inside after he'd checked the perimeter as he usually did then walked up to Robert " ok all as usual any extra orders " he asked standing as he looked at all of them. " I know the boys are cooking that will be good for John and Andrew to know " he said and chuckled a little. Cassidy sat with a magazine as she would have if everything was as normal so far but she could not help wonder who it was and how they got this close. Jack moved to sit with Cassidy as she read.

"I'm going to work up in the lab, Jack," Robert said. "I'd like you to stay close upstairs in the upper hallway."

Brian had advised Khaat to continue as normal. She decided to work in her father's potions lab so that she was closer to him. He had a number of bottles that just needed labeling. but as she was handling a bottle of a very concentrated and sticky ingredient, she didnt see the bottle was cracked. when she picked it up, it broke and the foul smelling and sticky ingredients spilled all over her. The stench was overpowering. It was the first thing Robert smelled when he went back up to the lab.

"Oh no," he groaned. "Ew. It smells like you spilled a whole bottle of that junk."

"Broke it. On me," she groaned.

"Oh no," he said, coming in. He got out another potions bottle. "Here. Go shower with this. Quickly. It will take the smell out. And burn those clothes. Don't be gone long. I dont' want you alone for more than we have to be." She nodded and went to her room. She tossed her clothes aside and got in the shower with the potion to remove the sticky one. She washed her hair and scrubbed the mess off. She washed again, using her own flower scented shower gel. But, then, suddenly, a man came into her bathroom, apparating right into her shower with her and flicked his wand at the tap, shutting it off. He pointed the wand at her throat.

"If you make one sound, I will kill not just you but your entire family," he said very softly. She froze, hearing only her heartbeat in her ears and the sound of the dripping water running down the drain in little trickles. She didn't recognize the voice. But she recognized a ring on his hand. His household duty was as a steward. He often brought clean linens and towels up to the rooms up here. But she didn't know him by name. And here she was, standing naked with him in the shower.

Kate barreled up the stairs as fast as she could run, seeing and feeling terror that she couldn't describe. She saw Jack in the hallway. "Jack! He's got Khaat!" she exclaimed. "He's in the house!"

Jack stood up motioning to Kate to back away he let his nails grow a little and slowly walked up be hind the man, grabbing the mans arm he yanked it up as it then broke, taking the man's arm he pulled the wand out of it and tossing it to the other side of the room while he held the man around the throat. " Nobody threatens anyone in my family. " he growled " I'll leave Robert to find out who your working for " he said feeling the man squirm in his grasp as he walked him out of the bathroom " you ok Khaat?" he asked looking back at her but focusing on her face and not the face she stood with nothing on, she was the wife of his best friend and employer and that was all he needed , that and the thought of Jess with a large knife in her hand.

Kate had dashed into the potions lab and had alerted Robert. But by the time Robert got there, Jack had him under control.

"Oh, well done," Robert said to Jack. He looked into the man's face. He had let this man, this auror, entirely too close to his family. Robert reached up to the man and bound his magic. He took the man's wand and broke it in half. "Your magical days are done, my friend. Forever. Take him to my office, Jack and resrain him in a chair there, please. Kate, go to the south guard tower and bring Brian back. Pass the message on to Lee and his staff that we have the mole. Tell him to stand by."

"Straight away," Kate said, apparating out, not even bothering to take her coat. Robert took a large sage green bath sheet and wrapped it around his soaking wet daughter. "Khaat," he said softly. "Its over. We have him. Did he hurt you?" She shook her head, staring at the floor. "Come," he told her. The mole could wait. Jack had him, anyway. He wasnt going anywhere. Robert took Khaat to her sitting room and sat her down on the sofa. He found Brian's stash of firewhiskey and poured her a glass. "Here. That will take the edge off. Brian will be back in a moment." He hadn't seen any cuts or bruises. She looked like jack had gotten to her before the traitor could harm her. He guessed she was just, understandably, shaken.